Courage of Men, Faith of Faeries
by Lady of Myth and Legends
Summary: Aurora, newly crowned Queen of the Moors and of the Faerie folk, and Philip, Prince of a kingdom of Men, spend a moment together after the celebration. They feel an attraction of sorts towards each other, however, the strife created over the course of decades of war has rented the two kingdoms apart. Now, they must find a way to breach this gap . . . together.


**I really enjoyed Maleficent and thought it was well written film. That being said, I still love the idea of Aurora and Philip being together. However, they do have challenges ahead of them and that is what I wanted to explore in this small drabble.**

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**Courage of Men, Faith of Faeries**

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"I never imagined it would be like this." Philip said in quiet awe as he looked about him.

"Oh?" Aurora asked in mild surprise. "What did you imagine it as, then?"

The young prince stopped for a moment and glanced about him, drinking in the sheer wonder of his surroundings.

"I'm afraid I can't seem to recall." He replied absently, his eyebrows furrowing in slight confusion. "It is as if my previous thoughts have been swept away. Do forgive me."

She smiled and laughed softly at his expression. Philip seemed to possess the wonderful ability to make her laugh.

"Yes, this land does have that effect on people." She agreed with a rapid nod of her golden head. "I was the same when Godmother first showed me the Moors as well. Even now, they still have this magic about them that leaves me filled with bafflement and wonder."

Philip merely offered her a shy smile. They had decided to take a short stroll about the lake. They hadn't wandered far from the rest of the celebration yet, far enough that they could enjoy a small moment of privacy. The Moors were far more beautiful and spectacular than all the tales he had been told to as a child combined. In fact, the tales he had been told were far darker and filled with the horrors that night often brought to a boy of ten. Now, however, Philip could see just how false those tales had been. The Moors were full of life and color and light. Everywhere there was some new and extraordinary to experience. The people of this strange yet, wondrous land were equally so. He had never meet the faerie people before, but he now found them simply riveting and less intimidating. However, the living trees were still a bit disconcerting.

"I believe I'm beginning to understand." He said quietly, glancing over the lake to those they had left behind.

"Hmm?" Aurora asked as she bent down to stroke the back of a wandering frog.

He turned suddenly and crouched down beside her, offering his hand out to the little creature. Taking that as a sign of good will, the frog hopped eagerly into his hand.

"You truly love it here," Philip stroked the creature gently along the length of its spine, encouraging a happy croak from deep in its throat. "I see that now."

Aurora's smile faltered for a moment. Carefully, she took the frog from Philip's hands and set it down upon a rock beside them. Taking his hands in hers, she let her fingers rub soothing circles around his own.

"It's true, the Moors have been more of my home than anywhere else." She began softly, her face set in an odd mixture of contemplation and anxiety. "I haven't known the world of Men very long, but I understand now that I must know it. If the two kingdoms are to be joined and united, I must understand them both equally."

Philip said nothing but allowed Aurora the opportunity to divulge her worries. She had seemed so calm at the coronation just a moment before yet, now he could see the sheer anxiety that lay beneath the surface.

"You are not alone in this Aurora," He pressed his fingers against her own, sealing them in a comforting vice. "I know, and understand, very little of the Moors. If, as you said, our lands are to become one, we must both learn. Perhaps, together, we can achieve what many have waited for: A time of peace and trust."

Almost instantaneously, the worry and anxiety ebbed from her face. Her eyes brightened and her lips turned up in the widest smile he could have possibly imagined.

"Truly?" She asked, her voice filled with hope and excitement.

Philip, in turn, returned her joy equally and with great conviction. "Truly."

Suddenly her arms were around his shoulders and Philip found himself buried in a mane of golden locks. Her hair was soft, far softer than he expected. Aurora, though sweet and gentle, possessed a wildness about her. As if, she herself, had faerie blood running through her own veins. Perhaps she did, in her own unique way. She could be lofty at times but, it was a loftiness that came when she was especially happy and full of joy.

She loved the Moors and their people. She found nature to be one of the world's greatest gifts and certainly one of the most mysterious. She cared for others so purely and, without any sort consideration to her own self, would give anyone anything that they would require. It was these qualities that drew Philip to her. She was something he would never completely understand yet, he found he would rather like to spend his whole life trying.

Whether this was love he felt, he knew not. However, it could grow if he nurtured it, cared for it, and he was willing to try. He wanted to know this Faerie Queen, even if the path in which she followed was far different from his own. They came from two different worlds yet, he felt, as she did, that those worlds could coexist. They just needed the courage of Men and the faith of Faeries to achieve it.

"We shall walk this journey together," He whispered to her gently. "No matter the challenges we shall face, we shall face them as one."

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**And so they begin the long journey of uniting the kingdoms. I really like this couple and I feel like there is a wildness (in a mysterious and magical way) to Aurora that was hinted at in the film but wasn't much explored. That, I feel, severely hindered her as a character, but that is what Fanfiction is for. To explore a character. I hope I have done these two justice and that you enjoyed this little tid-bit.**


End file.
